let's start at the very beginning.... (January 3)

the picture above was taken a few days later at a garden that we visited.. Heronswood. More photos to come in a few days....

the beginning is always a very good place to start...

our first night was spent in Cooma about 4 hours south of my home here in Woodford. Cooma is in the Snowy Mountains. I didn't bother to take any photos on the way. We arrived at our little motel in the afternoon, had a cup of tea and went for a walk to stretch our legs and back. We tend to stop every hour or so but still, being on the bike does tend to punish the body a little... (read, I need lots of massages and maybe some acupuncture!)

for dinner we went to the restaurant at the motel and ended up sitting with an elderly couple in their late 80's.. the woman had a sparkle in her eye that you wouldn't believe and I knew I had met a kindred spirit. A fellow wild woman. We sat and chatted for a few hours about life and the world. I love that about country Australia, people are still friendly. There is no barrier up nor is there any fear or distance of spirit that you find in the cities. I guess that is why I love Woodford so much.

On the way to Cooma, we rode past Lake George.. a Lake that fills and empties mysteriously... at the moment it is bone dry because of the drought..as I rode along many thoughts came and went from my mind. That night, I wrote in my journal: "as I looked across the Lake, I felt at peace. I 'heard' aboriginal voices at one stage and felt a presence, a welcoming presence. I know that this ride is truly the beginning of my belonging..... Australia is a harsh country. The heat is sometimes unbearable, overwhelming for me. I must remember to stay out of the extremes. The heat makes me angry and that is when I begin to hate this country.......... after talking to the elderly couple, I realize that the weather here is definitely cyclic.. they have seen so much over their lifetimes but said that the weather is normal. It has all happened before. They have seen it. ...man demands that the weather performs to suit his needs. When Mother Nature doesn't do what is expected or what is 'normal' then she is deemed 'out of control'. It is us who is out of control.. maybe we need to learn, or rather re-learn to move with the cycles and rhythms of nature and not try to control her........."

that night I listened to some music - Secret Garden - very haunting... I kept 'seeing' myself in Ancient England and the homesickness came back.... what am I to do?.... a thought fleeted through my mind.. guidance from beyond: *bring this past life into your present. the peace, the calm, the love, the connectedness. When you do, others will follow. Listen with your heart*

here at Inglewood, my garden is coming along nicely. Yesterday I spent quite a few hours weeding and mulching. I bought another apple tree and a passionfruit vine and planted them late afternoon... I fertilized my citrus, watered my rhubarb and picked some beans and zucchinis. I have 3 big pumpkins on my vine and quite a few apples on the tree. Even though it is still hot here, when I look at the vegetables and fruit ripening in readiness for harvesting, I realize that autumn is not far away.....